Our first pay-what-you-can workshop of the year is a fan favorite: understanding student dysregulation. This is a great intro to the concept (or a refresher!) of how the body and mind handle stress through regulation and dysregulation. We’ll look at common stress responses, understand the connection between stress tolerance and dysregulation, and learn about how regulation is definitely not the same as “staying calm.” Every time I revisit these concepts, it helps me reset my stance toward challenging behavior and approach with way more empathy and patience. Sound good? Join us on September 17!

Fall class at Antioch

My fall course at Antioch University starts soon, and you’re not too late to register! This is a graduate-level course for teachers and you don’t need to be enrolled in a program to join. Weaving SEL is all about integrating human-centered teaching philosophies into a cohesive approach that centers the whole student. We’ll look at a variety of texts and topics under the umbrella of social emotional learning and there are lots of hands-on application opportunities across the semester. See you there?

What I’m reading

I am reading two books right now that are taking me a long time to finish because they are so rich and provocative. (Links below are affiliate links!)

• Fawning by Ingrid Clayton. The book explores the stress response that often gets left out when we discuss “fight, flight, or freeze.” Fawning is a way of abandoning ourselves in order to find safety in other people, and Dr. Clayton writes very powerfully about what this looks like, how to see it as an adaptive survival tool, and how to “unfawn.” I’m reading this very slowly because I’m highlighting half of every page, and I have a text thread with a friend that’s mostly “Excuse you Dr. Ingrid, how did you find my diary?” with screenshots of pages of this book. At some point this fall stay tuned for a discussion of some kind about applying this book to education!

• An Educator’s Guide to ADHD by Karen Costa. I’ve been social media buddies with Karen for years and have been looking forward to this book since she started sharing some of her early ideas for it. It’s a radical, affirming take on ADHD and how to teach with ADHD in mind, written by an ADHDer who refuses to oversimplify pretty much anything on the topic. This book is so powerful and, again, my copy is covered in highlighter. Costa’s focus is on higher education settings but you’ll find applications to any age/grade level.

And here’s one more I haven’t started yet but comes out this week! Teaching Indigenous Studies is the newest release in the Equity & Social Justice series at Routledge (same series as my books). It looks incredible and also, can we talk about the gorgeous cover art?? Can’t wait to dig into this one.

Let me know what you’re reading, and hope to see you at some learning together this fall!

But that’s not the way summer actually plays out, is it? Lots of educators actually find the summer more stressful as our school-year routines go away. Summer is supposed to be fun, summer is supposed to be a break. When it doesn’t actually go that way, we can end up blaming ourselves for falling short of the ideal.

What if we just dropped the expectation instead and let it be whatever it is? Instead of measuring against the should, how about we check in with ourselves and notice what is? How am I feeling about this? What do I need?

This is good practice for teaching. Teachers are under so much pressure, and we certainly don’t have control over most of it. But we could give ourselves some ease by letting go of what things are supposed to feel like and making space for what they’re actually like. What if you didn’t bring any particular energy to the first weeks of school and how they’re supposed to go and instead paused to be present with how they actually unfold? What if you dropped any preconceived ideas about how your students will be and noticed who is actually in the room? Slowing down, noticing, being present: these are some of the simplest and hardest skills of trauma-informed practice. How might you embrace them this fall?

This gives me a great excuse to plug an incredible book coming out because it provides the theorical background and practical tools for this kind of presence. I’m very biased because the author is one of my besties but I promise you the book is excellent regardless of if you’re lucky enough to know Rhiannon Kim. By the time you finish reading, you’ll feel like you do know her, and the gentle yet firm way she’ll call you in to transformative equity work through mindfulness. The book comes out in a few weeks and you can preorder now!

This is just one of a few exciting books coming out this year, by the way. Stay tuned for a couple more recommendations I’ve been able to get a sneak peek of.

Fall SEL course

I’m back with Antioch University again this fall teaching my course Weaving SEL. This course brings together four threads: SEL, equity, trauma-informed practice, and problem-based learning. We’ll look at interesting intersections, try out classroom strategies, and consider how these threads inform our core beliefs about teaching. It’s totally online with four live meetings and the other weeks asynchronous. You don’t need to be enrolled in a grad program at Antioch to take the class, and in fact, Antioch offers a discounted rate for people trying a class there for the first time. All the details here.

One week left to register for Changemaker Community

Next Friday evening I’ll close registration for the Changemaker Community Cohort. If you want to build community while also building skills to sustain your education changemaking work, this is for you! It’s a small group experience meeting weekly in August and then monthly through the fall. Registration is sliding scale. Only a few spots left, grab yours soon!

Monthly webinar series resumes soon!

In September we’ll get started with our monthly pay-what-you-can webinar series again. Let me know in the comments if there’s a topic you’d like to see return from previous years, or a request for a new one!

Over the years, I’ve been lucky to hear the stories of many changemaker educators. In my graduate courses, workshops, in book talks, here in Vermont and all across the country, I’ve talked with countless folks with beautiful visions for what education could be, and deep frustration for how isolating it feels to try to make change in a hostile environment. So often I would think to myself…I just wish these educators all knew that each other existed! I wish I could get them in a room together! They’re not alone!

And then I realize I could, in fact, create rooms for some of them to get together. Last summer, we did a mini-series of the Changemaker Community and it was beautiful. We had people from all over in very different settings who found that their challenges were actually very similar. Participants experienced solidarity, generated new ideas for working through obstacles, and shared successes.

This year, I want to take that experience and build on it. The Changemaker Community Cohort is for any educator who is working on making change in their setting who wants support, inspiration, and community. In August, we’re going to read my book Becoming an Everyday Changemaker together and plan/strategize for the year ahead. Throughout the fall, we’ll meet once a month to check in, troubleshoot challenges, and share our wins. I’ll be facilitating with a focus on building community, and I hope you’ll leave the experience with new connections to sustain your work over the long haul.

The group might be a great fit for you if…

• You’re planning on trying out more liberatory classroom management strategies this year and you’re not sure how you’ll deal with pushback from colleagues

• You’re on a school-wide committee and want to start pushing the group toward bigger equity moves but you’re concerned about how that will go over

• You can recognize a trauma-inducing or inequitable policy or practice at your school and want to change it but have no clue how to get started

• You’ve been trying to push for change in your school and you’re questioning whether it’s better to stay, pivot/shift roles, or leave

• You’re already engaged in school change work but feel pretty lonely or stuck

Reach out if you’re not sure whether the group is a fit and we can chat!

Registration is live and is set up with a couple of pay-what-you-can tiers. There are also some optional add-ons for 1:1 coaching and for a signed copy of my book for the book study.

Reply or comment with any questions and I hope to see you there!

Alex

• Next Tuesday evening: join for an evening of reflection and connection to make sense of the closing school year and set intentions for what’s next.

• Starting in July: a writing cohort for telling your human-centered teaching stories. Only 4 spots left!

• Starting in August: a small group experience for education changemakers (and those aspiring to become one) offering connection, solidarity, and support. We start with a book study in August and then check in each month to help one another with all the bumps along the road (and celebrate the wins, too).

Let me know if you have any questions! I’d love to connect and learn together.

Onto my new piece in Edutopia! So excited this is now live. Inspired by the workshops I ran on the topic earlier in the spring, the piece explores how we support students during ongoing stress, crisis, and trauma. Sometimes trauma-informed resources seem to assume that our current environment is safe, and within that safety we can help students heal. But what does trauma-informed practice look like when the larger environment—for ourselves and our students—is actually persistently unsafe? In the article, I focus on ways to create safety that are small and tangible. We may not be able to control the larger environment, but we can influence small moments of connection, predictability, sense-making, and joy. Tap below to read and please let me know what you think!

After you listen:

• Leave me a review on Goodreads, Storygraph, or social media

• If you read with a book group, reach out to me for a free Q&A visit online!

Enjoy, everyone!

P.S. Registration for my summer PD offerings is live, including a changemaker cohort in which we’re going to read this very book together!

June pay-what-you-can workshop

Slowing down is a huge part of trauma-informed practice, so that’s what we’re doing for our June workshop! This will be a little different from my usual monthly workshops: I’ll talk just a little bit at the beginning, and then we’ll go through a cycle of reflection prompts together. You’ll have time to pause and write about the year that’s ending and dream a little about the one to come. Bring a notebook or a blank document and experience some sloth magic with us! 🦥

Education writing workshop

I am so excited about this brand-new offering! Starting July 14, this small group workshop is for you if you’ve ever thought, ‘I should really write about my classroom someday.” Someday is today! (…or July 14). I designed the workshop for educators who want to write with the goal of moving us all closer to education justice.

Maybe you have stories to tell about using trauma-informed practices in your work, or you want to write an article about a powerful human-centered pedagogical move, or you want to bring a more authentic voice to journal manuscript you’re working on. We’ll study some mentor texts, generate some writing together, and give supportive feedback toward revision. More details, dates, and registration.

Changemaker Community Cohort

The times we’re living in are pretty hostile for education changemakers, especially those of us pushing back on punitive discipline, scripted curriculum, AI, persistent inequities, and one-size-fits-all policy (and the list goes on). If you’re an educator trying to center the human in your school and you could use a changemaking community, this cohort is for you.

Last summer I offered Changemaker Community Conversations as a drop-in experience; this summer we’re leveling up with a book study and ongoing cohort that lasts through December. In August, we’ll read Becoming an Everyday Changemaker together, and then meet monthly throughout the first half of the school year.

Join the group if you want support and solidarity as you push for change and a community for problem-solving, getting unstuck, and witnessing your wins. Full details, dates, and registration.

Book study visits & fall PD

Two quick reminders: I’ll come visit your book club online for 30 minutes for free if you’re reading either of my books! Just get in touch and we’ll schedule it.

Lastly, I’m now booking online and in-person professional development for the fall. Email me to chat! Alex@UnconditionalLearning.org

So let’s hope that in May I have some nice spring blossoms to share, and in the meantime, let’s learn together!

This month’s pay-what-you-can webinar is the return of a personal favorite: BOUNDARIES! Trauma-informed education can seem like it encourages the blurring of teacher boundaries—are we supposed to suddenly become therapists? But when you really get into it, trauma-informed education actually demands clearer boundaries. When adults commit to predictability and transparency in our roles, young people can feel safer with us. We’ll get into all the details in this month’s workshop! Registration here.

Summer PD preview

In my May newsletter, I’ll have details for you about my summer 2026 PD offerings, but here’s a little preview!

I’ll be facilitating two groups:

• Writing our way to justice & healing in education: a writing workshop for educators! Whether you’re writing (or want to write) a blog post, journal article, book proposal, or your own personal project, this workshop is for anyone who wants to join a community of writers who care deeply about human-centered education. This group will meet twice a week throughout July and include learning from mentor texts of my favorite education writing, generative writing prompts, and opportunities for feedback and sharing.

• Changemaker community cohort: evolving an group that met last summer, this will be open to anyone who’s working on making change in your education setting and wants a supportive community for sustaining your work. We’ll do some text study from Becoming an Everyday Changemaker and do lots of collective learning and problem-solving with one another. Timing is a little TBD but we’ll likely meet a few times in August and then continue to meet monthly throughout the fall.

If you’re interested in either/both of these groups, stay tuned for more next month!

Happy birthday to BAEC!

April 1 was the second birthday of my second book! Becoming an Everyday Changemaker has been out for two years and I’m still so proud of it. My favorite thing is to hear from teachers who are using this book to fuel their changemaking at school, and I’m always so grateful when I get one of those messages! (…so send them to me! 😛). I also love to come chat with your book clubs, so let me know if you’d like to schedule a virtual visit. Thanks to all the readers who have picked up this book in the past two years.

(If you don’t have a copy yet, your timing is great to buy from Routledge! They’re having a sale right now)

Springtime greetings from Vermont, where our beautiful frozen lake will hopefully melt soon and spring is just around the corner, even when it doesn’t look like it.

Both items of news I have for you today are connected to unconditional positive regard, which you all know is my favorite favorite thing. It’s a simple idea: that people in helping professions should view our students, clients, constituents with the basic assumption that they have value, that they deserve our care, and that our support for them isn’t conditioned on their meeting certain behavioral norms. Simple, yet actually a pretty radical idea in practice.

I’ve mentioned in some trainings before that in his original paper on unconditional positive regard, Carl Rogers notes that it’s not actually possible to maintain perfectly unconditional positive regard at all times—we’re human, after all, and as humans we get annoyed and we get frustrated and we want to quit on people. That’s natural. The goal, Rogers and I agree, is to keep spiraling toward unconditional positive regard. Keep it as our compass. And as times continue to be challenging in and around schools, that compass can provide such clarity. How do we navigate turbulence and the unexpected? How do we make choices when no options seem right? When I recenter this, my choices usually become more clear: I want all students to be able to say, “the adults here care about me. They see my value. I don’t have to prove it to them, and nothing’s going to change their mind.”

So let’s get together and talk about how we do this work! This month’s pay-what-you-can workshop is a community member’s request: how do we get our colleagues on board with unconditional positive regard? Let’s talk about how to influence school culture away from deficit viewpoints, disrupting toxic conversations, and creating a community of care. Registration is free or pay-what-you-can as always!

Other exciting news is that I have some new writing out about unconditional positive regard! I was honored to be invited to contribute a chapter to a new edited volume, What Teachers Need: How the Education Community Can Promote Sustainable Well-Being and Help Heal the Profession, edited by Amanda Moreno and Jeanette Banashak.

I chose to write about unconditional positive regard. Not from the perspective of, “just change your mindset and all your burnout will be solved!” I’ve written extensively about how teachers need structural support. But alongside that structural support, mindset can make a difference, and I wanted to write about how unconditional positive regard can actually be a powerful protector against moral injury. The big idea: when we humanize our students through unconditional positive regard, we humanize ourselves. Here’s a little bit from my conclusion:

“In an era of fascistic leadership in the United States, it may be impossible to avoid moral injury in the teaching profession. Teachers are in a position to witness injustice and make hard choices about their own complicity in it. When we can stand in our values of equity and justice, we find the inner well-being of integrity. Committing to unconditional positive regard is an act of well-being because it allows us to stay whole in a professional that sometimes seems as though it would rather we compartmentalize our humanity.”

You can read more if you pick up the book or request it from your library! And check out the rest of the table of contents; so many amazing contributors!

Stay tuned soon for summer PD offerings and more pay-what-you-can workshops this spring. And as always, I’m booking out workshops, keynotes, and other partnerships for summer and beyond, so be in touch if I can support your work!

(Please note: I don’t record my pay-what-you-can workshop series, and my Zoom capacity is limited - so please register only if you’re pretty sure you can make it! Thanks!)

One other quick note - my spring graduate course on Radically Rethinking Classroom Management starts on Monday and it’s not too late to register. You can find all the details here.

So what can we do? I keep returning to the idea that we each have our unique work to do, at the intersection of our skills, our care, and how we’re situated in the work and the world. We each can identify how we’re working for change. We each can build relationships to make that change more possible. And when we get overwhelmed, we can pause and feel that for however long we need, and then return. Return to one small thing you can do today. Return to experimenting with a way forward. Return to how you know you can tangibly make a difference.

If you’re having trouble with that return (or if you aren’t sure where to get started), I wrote a book for you a couple of years ago. I’ve been honored to hear from educators in the past year and a half about Becoming an Everyday Changemaker and how the tools within it help them to navigate a path forward during challenging times. I hope it can be useful going forward.

Speaking of being useful, I have a couple of offerings to share and a question for feedback. Let’s get into it.

Question: what topics do you want to see from my pay-what-you-can webinar series this year?

Over the past couple of years, I’ve facilitated more than 40 pay-what-you-can webinars on a whole range of topics connected to trauma-informed practices in schools. It’s a delightful learning community and I’m excited to keep it going in 2026! As I plan out this year, I’d love to hear from you! Here are a few of the previous topics of these webinars. Chime in in the comments of this post (or shoot me an email) and let me know which you want to see return, and if there are any new topics or questions on your mind you want to see me cover this year.

• Creating Felt Safety with the Four Priorities of Trauma-Informed Education

• Trauma-Informed Transitions at School

• Teacher Boundaries: Doing Human-Centered Work Without Burning Out

• Why Points, Prizes and TigerBux Don’t Work (and what to do instead)

• Sustaining care for the kids (and coworkers) who challenge us the most: unconditional positive regard in tough times

• Understanding Student Dysregulation (and Supporting Student Regulation)

• How do I make change when I’m just one teacher?

Any of those sound good? What else? Let me know!

You can also expect to see the return of some year-end reflective time, Changemaker Community Conversations, and a new offering this summer on writing about our human-centered teaching work!

Free webinar next week

Next week I’m joining Think Bigger Do Good for a webinar on a policy paper I co-authored with my colleague Dr. Ruth Shim about promoting youth mental health in schools through equity-centered trauma-informed education. You can register for free here. We’ll be paying special attention to how policymakers can support educators to implement trauma-informed practices!

Spring graduate course

My spring graduate course at the VTSU Center for Schools is open for registration! It’s fully virtual and open to anyone (no need to be in a program). Radically Rethinking Classroom Management is for you if you want to take apart all your thinking about classroom community and build it back up with intention and care. We start the first week of February!

(Note: the dates on the website for the zoom meetings are slightly incorrect, if you’re thinking about registering before they’re updated just send me an email for more info!)

Thanks everyone, and hope to connect with you all this coming year!

If you’ve been feeling hopeless and overwhelmed about all that needs changing in education, this one’s for you. I don’t have any magical answers about how to fix it all. But I do have:

• Ways to think about your own role within the larger movement for social change

• Reflective activities for finding the best place you can plug in to changemaking

• Real stories of changemaker teachers finding success (big and small)

Join in the conversation and bring your journal for some reflection and dreaming! Pay-what-you-can, always including $0.

How do I make change when I’m just one teacher?

Join me next Tuesday for the last pay-what-you-can workshop session of 2025.

In times of collective trauma and crisis, we can get overwhelmed with just how many things need to change. For teachers, this can feel magnified, with the evidence of so many injustices and inequities present in our work each day.

I wrote Becoming an Everyday Changemaker to share lessons I’ve learned from educators, activists, and thinkers about how we take back agency while we’re experiencing trauma and use that agency to transform the world around us. This workshop draws from my book and is a good fit for you if you want to reset some intentions for how you’ll show up in the new year.

Tap below for more details and to register! Pay-what-you-can always includes $0.

Spring graduate course

My spring graduate course, Radically Rethinking Classroom Management, is now open for registration. You don’t have to be part of any particular program to register, and it’s open to teachers of all grades. Counselors, leaders, and other school staff have also found this course meaningful.

I loooove teaching this class. We systematically dismantle the idea of “classroom management” and then build it back up to better align with human-centered teaching philosophy. Lots of powerful reading, lots of strategies you’ll try out in your classroom, and lots of community-building among you and your classmates.

If you have questions about the class, let me know. If you have logistical questions about registration, scroll to the bottom of the registration page for contact info for the Center for Schools.

Work with me this spring

I’m currently scheduling for February onward (and summer 2026) for workshops, keynotes, and other learning partnerships. Learn more and get in touch!

See you there! Tap below to register.

Join us Monday, 11/17. As always, it’s pay-what-you-can including $0!

New blog post: unconditional positive regard for parents and caregivers

As you may know, most of my writing energy has been going toward a non-education project lately (for updates, you can check out my Instagram @AlexSVenet). But after a workshop with a fantastic middle school team recently, I was inspired to write down some thoughts on how the idea of unconditional positive regard applies to our work with parents and caregivers of our students.

I gave myself an exercise: rewrite my definition of unconditional positive regard to apply to caregivers we work with. Here’s my usual definition that I primarily use to talk about our stance toward students:

“I care about you. You have value. You don’t have to do anything to prove it to me, and nothing’s going to change my mind.”

And here’s what I ended up with as a stance toward caregivers:

“We care about your kid and we care about you, too. You have value, strengths, and wisdom as their caregiver. You don’t have to prove your worth to us, and we’ll stick with you as partners through tough times.”

In my new blog post, I expand on each section and write about how unconditional positive regard is a powerful tool for the adults on a child’s team. Give it a read and let me know what you think!

Ed Books Against Hunger: one week left!

Finally, a reminder that you have ONE WEEK to enter the raffle for Ed Books Against Hunger! We’ve already raised a little over $1000 - AMAZING! Could we get to $2k before the raffle closes on the 16th???

P.S. if you’ve already read most of the books we’re offering or you don’t need to add to your to-be-read pile right now, I’d love to see folks contribute regardless - just put n/a in the “address” field on the form. You’re helping us demonstrate the power of educators when we come together for a cause.

If you’re in the U.S., you’re almost definitely tuned in to the news that SNAP benefits are set to expire this weekend, leaving tens of millions of children and adults without food access. Even if the government manages to resolve this in the next day, we know that hunger and food insecurity are on the rise regardless. As educators, I know that you know the impact of hunger on kids, family, and the community. It’s pretty scary to be standing on the precipice of this crisis.

If you read my book Becoming an Everyday Changemaker, you know that I believe this: when you’re feeling hopeless and helpless about big injustices, it’s time to remind yourself “I can’t do it all, but I can do something.” In the spirit of taking action in our spheres of influence, I’m excited to introduce…

Ed Books Against Hunger!

Here’s the idea:

1. You donate any amount (even $5 helps!) to your local food bank

2. You grab a screenshot of your donation receipt and upload it to this quick and easy form

3. We draw winners in a couple of weeks and mail you one of these amazing education books—fuel for your changemaking! (By the way—can’t believe how many incredible authors said YES to participating! Scroll down to see the incredible titles!)

In addition to raising the cash for our local food banks (the most important thing!) I also want this project to help generate some hope. As we come together in the education community for this fund drive, I’ll share updates about our impact. I think it’ll be a great reminder of how powerful we can be when we join together for community care.

So…let’s do it! See below for the amazing prizes you can win (and I’ll be sharing a few additions on Instagram tomorrow!). And then go make your donations and fill in your entry. You have until November 16!

Thanks everyone, can’t wait to see how much we can accomplish together!

Alex

By now, your school year is well underway. What did you picture for the year and how is it actually going now that you’re deep into the messiness of the classroom community? One of the challenges of being a teacher is squaring all the daily decisions with the ideals and dreams we set out to accomplish. Holding that tension between “what is” and “what could be” is no small feat.

I’m really looking forward to my pay-what-you-can workshop series starting up again in a couple of weeks and help you pause and reflect on that tension and make plans for moving forward. Read on for more!

October pay-what-you-can workshop: unconditional positive regard in tough times

You know I love me some unconditional positive regard as a teaching philosophy. Annnnd it’s pretty hard to sustain when we’re deep in conflict or harm, from students or coworkers or just the world around us. In this workshop, we’ll dig deep into unconditional positive regard with a focus on how we sustain care during hard times. Join us for community, conversation, and learning! Registration is open and as always, it’s pay-what-you-can including $0.

Might I recommend a book?

As we go deeper into the school year and political/social times continue to be chaotic, might I remind you…I have a book for that? I wrote Becoming an Everyday Changemaker for educators who know we need change in schools but feel isolated and outnumbered. There are all kinds of tools and activities in the book, but maybe my favorite part is the wisdom from teachers and leaders I interviewed about their own changemaking work. I’d love if you picked up a copy or borrowed it from your library! (And as a reminder, I’ll come to your book group for free if you read it with colleagues!).

Routledge is having a 20% off sale right now. And when you’re done reading, I appreciate your reviews and shares very much so this book can find its readers. Thank you!

Keep reading for updates on:

• Free visits to your book study

• Fall graduate course on SEL

• Working together this year

• What’s on my reading list

• Update on my pay-what-you-can workshop series

• And an invitation to join me live this afternoon!

Free book study visits

If you are reading either of my books this year with a book study group, I’m always happy to visit with you on Zoom for a Q&A session toward the end of your reading! How it works: just email me with some dates and times, and schedule permitting, we’ll put it on the calendar. I generally have about 30 minutes for an informal Q&A type of conversation. I love doing these so don’t hesitate to reach out! (Looking for more in-depth connection or for me to facilitate a book study series for your school? Reach out for pricing and scheduling for that, too!)

Fall SEL class at Antioch University

My fall graduate course with Antioch University gets started soon. You don’t have to be enrolled in a graduate program to take the class! The course pulls together many threads: social emotional learning, trauma-informed education, project-based learning, and equity - so I call it “Weaving SEL.” Each week is based around a big question, like “When is SEL harmful and what can we do to prevent harm?” or “What kind of SEL do teachers need?” If you want practical SEL strategies with a critical systems-oriented lens, this is for you!

To register through Antioch, you can go to this page and follow the instructions. My class is listed under the Education tab as EDC-5032. If you have questions about the course content, feel free to ask me, if you have questions about logistics of registration or pricing or credits, you can reach out to continuing-education.aune@antioch.edu.

Let’s learn together this year!

I’m available for workshops, consulting, and keynotes on equity-centered trauma-informed education and would love to work with you. You can learn more here or email me with ideas and questions.

What’s on my TBR

My to-be-read stack is rather huge right now because I’m currently writing my next book (a creative nonfiction book about my experience with a spine injury) and whenever I’m writing, the books seem to multiply in my house very quickly. So I’m a little behind on my education reading stack! Here’s what I have awaiting me:

• Reducing Stress in Schools: my friend Mathew Portell is lead author on this one. I’m a couple of chapters in and it looks to be a really useful text for teachers and school leaders taking a systemic approach to stress in schools.

• Pedagogies of Voice: I LOVED Street Data so I can’t wait to read this follow-up!

• Nourishing Caregiver Collaborations: I’m sooo overdue on reading this one but everything I hear about it is great!

Would love to hear what’s on your list!

Catch me live this afternoon

I’m excited to be joining the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint for their Live series this afternoon! Tune in at 3:30pm Eastern time.

See you soon - pay-what-you-can events to return in October

I’m taking September off from my pay-what-you-can workshop series but we’ll be back in October. If you have requests for topics you’d like to see this year, just email or comment here. Thanks for all your support, and see you soon!

There are two more chances to learn together in my summer PD series.

Tomorrow, join me at 2pm Eastern to talk about teacher boundaries. We’ll explore what it means to be a teacher in a trauma-informed environment without attempting to become a therapist or a savior. Plus, how do we sustain healthy boundaries for the long haul and combat burnout?

And finally, next Wednesday we have our last meeting of our Changemaker Community Conversations. These have been really powerful and invigorating discussions, so join us for the last one of the summer. Although, I’m curious — anyone interested in a more regular offering of that space during the school year? I’m thinking a once-a-month opportunity to check in, strategize, and fill our cups for the ongoing change work we’re doing. Would you join?

Thanks again for all the engagement this month and I hope to see lots of you tomorrow and next Wednesday.

Two quick reminders to close out:

• If you and your colleagues are reading either of my books this upcoming school year, I’d love to join your book club! I offer a free 30-minute Q&A session over Zoom to any group doing a book study of either book. Just email me to set it up!

• If your school, organization, or event are interested in workshops, keynotes, or other partnership with me this year, reach out to discuss. I’m currently booking from mid-October onward and would love to collaborate with you.

• On Tuesday and Thursday at 10am, join me for a two-part series on student dysregulation. On Tuesday, we’ll build an understanding of what’s really going on when students get dysregulated and how we should interpret student behaviors. On Thursday, we’ll answer: “now what??” and explore strategies for helping students co-regulate and self-regulate.

• Wednesday is the rescheduled date for Creating Felt Safety with the Four Priorities. This is a great intro or refresher for trauma-informed practices with opportunities to reflect on how you’ll be building in proactive trauma-informed strategies in the coming school year

• And Wednesday evening, join us for the third session of Changemaker Community Conversations! These have been wonderful conversations so far. This week, we’re focusing on how we’re collectively pushing back against behaviorism, PBIS, and other traditional discipline practices, but would love for you to join us even if that isn’t your main focus - the conversation will follow the needs of the group!

Thanks to all who’ve attended so far and can’t wait to see lots of you this week!